NAACP, Myrtle Beach hotel settle lawsuit
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has settled its discrimination lawsuit against the Yachtsman Hotel in Myrtle Beach, the NAACP announced Wednesday. The NAACP in May 2003 sued the Yachtsman for regulations and policies it said were put in place just before the Atlantic Beach Bikefest and designed to make blacks feel unwelcome. In a news release issued Wednesday, the NAACP called the settlement "amicable" and "groundbreaking." It said the Yachtsman has agreed to take policies in question and make them permanent and consistent for all guests year-round. The lawsuit was one of two the NAACP filed claiming businesses discriminate against black bikers during the Atlantic Beach Bikefest. The other suit was against local police and the city allege police intimidation and unfair traffic restrictions. That suit is still working its way through the courts. Lawyers also filed an administrative complaint with the S.C. Human Relations Commission saying 28 local restaurants closed their doors during Bikefest to avoid serving blacks. Plaintiffs in both lawsuits say treatment during Bikefest, which attracts predominantly black visitors, is different than that given to visitors to the annual Myrtle Beach Harley-Davidson Dealers Association Bike Rally held earlier in May. The Harley-Davidson crowd is mostly white.
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